University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
8-9,2-4Big Sout
Longwood
6-14,1-6Big Sou
Bulldogs Secure Big South Victory on the Road Against Longwood
01.20.2020 | Men's Basketball
FARMVILLE, Va. – Close games have defined UNC Asheville's men's basketball team during Big South Sports competition, and that rang true once again as the Bulldogs emerged victorious, 71-66, against Longwood, Monday night, inside Willett Hall.
Monday's victory marked the Bulldogs' (8-9, 2-4 Big South) second in conference play, both of which have come on the road. The five-point margin represents the largest of the conference season for the Bulldogs, as their five previous games were all decided by two points.
DeVon Baker led the way in scoring, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-20 shooting, including 5-of-10 from three. After scoring five points in the first half, Baker responded with a 5-of-8 effort – including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc – in the second half to lead the charge with 14 points.
Coty Jude finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including eight points in the early portion of the second half to help the Bulldogs reclaim the lead. Lavar Batts, Jr. added 12 points while LJ Thorpe scored 11 and brought down nine rebounds.
The game was close throughout, as the largest lead for either team was the Bulldogs' eight-point lead with 7:55 remaining in the game after Baker hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Baker hit another three with 6:06 left in the game to push the lead to seven.
Longwood continued to chip away, cutting the deficit to just two points with 4:17 remaining, but Baker drained his fourth three of the half to put the Bulldogs back up by five.
Leading 67-63 with 1:19 remaining, Batts missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but made up for it on the next possession, drawing a critical charge call on the Lancers' Shabooty Phillips. Batts drew another charge on Longwood's ensuing possession, giving the Dogs the ball with 31 seconds left.
Tajion Jones hit one-of-two free throws after being fouled on the inbounds play, and the Bulldogs were able to force a miss from three. Jude also split two free throws to make the lead 69-63. Phillips hit a deep three with 1.1 seconds remaining for Longwood to narrow the lead to three, but Batts threw home a dunk on a long outlet pass for the final margin.
Neither team could gain much separation in the first half, as the largest lead for either team was a seven-point advantage, 22-15, for the Bulldogs at the 9:48 mark after Trent Stephney found Jones for a layup.
A pair of free throws by Thorpe with 1:45 left in the half made the score 30-26 Bulldogs, but Longwood closed out the half on a 5-0 run to take a 31-30 lead into the locker room. Thorpe led the way with 11 points and four rebounds in the first 20 minutes of play.
NOTABLY
·        The Bulldogs forced 19 turnovers by Longwood while turning it over 13 times themselves. The Bulldogs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in only one game this season.
·        Of those 19 turnovers, 10 came via the steal, marking the 10th time this season the Bulldogs have recorded double-digit steals. LJ Thorpe and Lavar Batts, Jr. led the way with three steals apiece.
·        DeVon Baker led the team in scoring with 19 points, the sixth time this season he has led the team in scoring.
·        Baker hit 5-of-10 from three, marking the third time this season he's drained at least five 3-pointers. He hit five against St. Andrews and a career-best six against UT Martin.
·        LJ Thorpe led the team with nine rebounds, the ninth time he's led the team in rebounding this season.
·        The Bulldogs led the Lancers in points off turnovers, 14-to-8, and points in the paint, 32-to-26.
·        The Bulldogs hit 10-of-26 shots from beyond the arc, the seventh time they have recorded at least 10 3-pointers in a game.
·        Jeremy Peck scored a season-high four points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field.
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return to Kimmel Arena for Big South action when they host Radford in a 6 p.m., Thursday matchup.
FROM THE MIND OF MORRELL
"I'm just really proud of our guys. We'd be lying if we said it wasn't a tough week for us losing two at home. Just to be able to come on the road in another close game where we had to execute down the stretch, I'm just extremely proud of our guys. I think this is our fourth true road win with the seventh youngest team in the country. They're really growing up and I'm just really proud of their effort. They really stuck together. I thought DeVon (Baker) in the second half, the way he responded to his first half, in the second half he was terrific. Lavar (Batts) kept us together all night: I think that's as good as he's been. It was just team basketball: nobody cared who got the accolades tonight, it was just a team win overall. That's what we're trying to get these guys to understand and learn, in our league, we're going to need every person. Jeremy Peck, that's two games in a row he's been good for us. I'm just really proud of our guys for finding a way to get one."
– Head Coach Mike Morrell
